The National Education Association recommends a class size of 15 students, especially in the early years of education. However, according to the U.S. Department of Education, the average U.S. class size in 2010 was 25 students. To many, this situation seems like an obvious disadvantage to the students in the largerContinue Reading

You may have seen the emails on Twitter begging FCPS to delay school start times, with gripes about sleep deprivation and circadian rhythm.  And despite the lack of recent news on the subject, the FCPS School Board has recently met to discuss the issue of later school times. While someContinue Reading

Gendered marketing goes beyond the make-believe kitchens and toy guns of childhood, following individuals far into adulthood. Mimicking the clearly defined toy aisles—one just for girls, and one just for boys—cosmetic and clothing aisles noticeably don’t just use signs to boast the difference between two genders. An easy distinction toContinue Reading

There is a stigma that surrounds eating and mental health disorders including depression, anxiety, bulimia, anorexia and OCD. In most cases, physical ailments are taken more seriously than mental disorders, because the problems and declines in health are more obvious. This difference does not mean that they are any lessContinue Reading

In just a few years, a lot has changed in the school community. Sure, there’s still a thin film of grime atop some of the older lockers, and yes, there’s always at least one hallway that smells really weird. But there are also several milestones of development, including the completionContinue Reading

In affluent areas like northern Virginia, affordable housing can become a huge problem. Hoping for increased tax revenue and a boost to the local economy, affordable housing units like are completely demolished in favor of expensive single-family homes. While local developers may see the closing of affordable housing projects asContinue Reading

Want a high school diploma? Well, if you’re in the class of 2015 or younger, you have a new graduation requirement: a personal finance class. According to the Virginia Department of Education, the class is intended to “further the development of knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed for responsible citizenship inContinue Reading

Everyone at Marshall knows about International Baccalaureate. Everyone at Marshall is encouraged to take IB classes—and honors classes at Marshall are preparation for IB’s workload and demands. IB diploma candidates only make up about a quarter each of the junior and senior classes. Students who take mostly IB classes areContinue Reading